Some 96,000 private workers in Central Luzon have received a PHP5,000 financial assistance each from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as part of the agency’s efforts to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The financial benefit is under the DOLE’s Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) 2.

DOLE Regional Director Ma. Zenaida Angara-Campita said in a radio interview on Tuesday that some PHP481 million has already been disbursed to the beneficiaries out of the total PHP576 million allotted for the regular CAMP in the region.

Campita said there are some CAMP applications which were submitted before the Dec. 11 deadline that are still under evaluation.

“May mga pino-proseso pa kami at yun ang mga nakapag-submit nang last-minute. So, ini-evaluate pa at pinapa-submit pa ng mga kulang na requirements. Bina-validate kung existing pa ang mga establishments na ito. So, we are expecting another PHP100 million na mauubos namin (We are still processing and those are the ones who submitted last-minute. So, it is still being evaluated and we asked them to submit the missing requirements. Likewise, we are still validating if the establishments are still existing. So, we are expecting to disburse another PHP100 million),” she said.

Campita said the DOLE regional office will continue receiving and processing applications for the tourism sector workers, who were among the hardest hit by the pandemic.

“As long as they are tourism-accredited establishments, they can still apply until Dec. 19,” she said. (PNA)